North Korea has said it does not "wish for a war but shall not hide from it" as the country lambasted American officials for stepping up their threats and military assertions in the Korean peninsula.

The North Korean foreign ministry said recent developments, massive aerial drills and remarks made by high-ranking US authorities, indicate Washington is inching towards provoking a full-fledged conflict against Pyongyang.

"We do not wish for a war but shall not hide from it, and should the US miscalculate our patience and light the fuse for a nuclear war, we will surely make the US dearly pay the consequences with our mighty nuclear force which we have consistently strengthened," said the spokesman, according to a report carried by the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

"The large-scale nuclear war exercises conducted by the US in succession are creating touch-and-go situation on the Korean peninsula and series of violent war remarks coming from the US high-level politicians amid such circumstances have made an outbreak of war on the Korean peninsula an established fact," said the spokesman, "The remaining question now is: when will the war break out."

The North was referring to the ongoing massive aerial drills jointly conducted by the US and South Korea during when more than 230 warplanes are being mobilised as a show of force against the reclusive Kim Jong-un regime.